Powerhead Flow Affect Skimmer?

[wiselyy73]

Bought a WXM connected with the MP40 recently and using lagoon mode at 20% at night. Realized that my vertex 150 is only half filled during night time. And it is back to normal and skimming fine during the day when I have set the MP40 to 60% reef crest mode. Is this normal?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Bought a WXM connected with the MP40 recently and using lagoon mode at 20% at night. Realized that my vertex 150 is only half filled during night time. And it is back to normal and skimming fine during the day when I have set the MP40 to 60% reef crest mode. Is this normal?

Is your skimmer in the sump or hang on back? I wouldn't think that a powerhead in the display would effect a skimmer in the sump. Have you tried setting the mp40 to 60% at night just to see if it changes to regular skimming to determine if the MP40 operation is directly related to how much skim you get?

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Mark the water line of where the skimmer is at then at night see if the water level drop.
What I think is happening is that at 60% it’s returning water to the skimmer area fast than at 20% so the water height you have your skimmer at may be off from the recommend height.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Mark the water line of where the skimmer is at then at night see if the water level drop.
What I think is happening is that at 60% it’s returning water to the skimmer area fast than at 20% so the water height you have your skimmer at may be off from the recommend height.

But if the skimmer is in the sump, and the MP40 is in the display, how would that effect the skimmer? The MP40 is a powerhead for the display tank, and the skimmer is an in sump skimmer.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

But if the skimmer is in the sump, and the MP40 is in the display, how would that effect the skimmer? The MP40 is a powerhead for the display tank, and the skimmer is an in sump skimmer.

That same mp in the display is also helping the water get in the over flow box. Turn off your pumps in your tank and see if the flow to you overflow box don’t change.

 

[Crabs McJones]

That same mp in the display is also helping the water get in the over flow box. Turn off your pumps in your tank and see if the flow to you overflow box don’t change.

Depended on where the overflow box is to the MP40 you may be correct.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

I say no matter where it’s at once off it will change.

 

[wiselyy73]

Yes, looks like every mode changed would had affect the skimmer. How can I make it stable?

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Sounds like you may not have it sitting in enough water.

 

[wiselyy73]

Sitting at 8”

 

[justingraham]

Run it at 100% 24/7

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Did you trying marking the water level when the flow is high then turn it down 20% I believe you said and see if the water drop under the line if it do try adding water to bring it up to the line then turn your flow back up and see what happens.

 

[wiselyy73]

Compared last night and this morning water level is the same.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Did you compare the level at 20% and 60% ? And is the water level for the skimmer always the same?

 

[wiselyy73]

At 200%and 60% mode water level in sump is the same. At 60% skimming well but at 20% only half the skimmer was filled.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Your skimmer section is losing water when it goes to 20% did you try adding water in that section when that happens to bring it back up to the line then go to 60 let it run for a while see what happens then drop it back down to 20 and see if it’s still happening. Do you have pic of your sump setup ?

 

[wiselyy73]

Ok this is what I had done last weekend. When 20% mode was on, the water level in the drain chamber where I place the skimmer is the same as at 60%. But water in skimmer dropped to below the neck and nothing was skimming so I close the value more to bring the water up and skimming again. When I woke up the next morning the skimmer was overflow because the MP40 was back to 60%.

Man, I really don’t know what’s going on.

 

[mjlash22]

Maybe a picture of your sump layout, overflow, and main downflow pipe would help. I think it's strange becasue depending on how you regulate water leaving your DT and going to your sump, flow should be the same no matter what speed you have your power head set to. I run my MP40 in crest mode (anti-sync with another MP40) at about 75% constant so I do not have the same issue you have, but I could play around with my settings and see if the same happens.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Oh so your problem is with the water line inside the skimmer oh ok [emoji1533]. Is it possible that the skimmer pump is getting water faster at 60 and less at 20. Something like that happens to me when I feed my tank my skimmer stops skimmer.

 

[[Cameron]]

What skimmer, how is the skimmer plumbed, what type of overflow and what pumps on the skimmer and return?